Buhera South not suitable for habitation — DA
Sunday, 29 July 2012 12:11
BY SOFIA MAPURANGA
RELOCATION to agriculturally productive areas is the only long-term solution
for some communities in Buhera South district that experience perennial food
shortages, a government official said last week.
Speaking on the sidelines of a training workshop organised by the World Food
Programme (WFP) in Masvingo last week, District Administrator for Buhera,
Rolland Madondo said Buhera South was not suitable for human habitation.
He said relocation was the only solution for some communities that have
experienced over a decade of drought and were surviving on food aid from
government and the donor community.
“It is not feasible for the government to provide food assistance to the
same communities year in year out,” said Madondo. “As far as I can recall,
these communities in Mutiusinazita and Muzokomba areas have not had
sustainable yields for the past decade and they are dependent on the
government and non-governmental organisations for food aid.”
He added that the only long-term solution was to identify suitable land in
other regions to resettle the affected communities. Madondo said relocation
was costly and communities might resist the exercise but “it is a practical
solution”.
Isaac Mtetwa, an Agriculture Extension officer, said most communities in
Buhera South were in dire need of aid. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment
Committee (ZimVAC) last year estimated that over one million people living
in the rural areas would not be able to meet their cereal requirements for
the year 2011-2012 until the next harvesting season.